The Dalai Lama has delivered some interesting comments since yesterday's protests in San Francisco; they surprisingly feature the phrases "shut up" and "I'm just a human."  Despite the strong words, he does back the Olympics, however.

SEATTLE (AP) - The Dalai Lama said Thursday he is willing to support China's hosting of the Olympic Games this summer, but Beijing cannot suppress protests in Tibet with violence or tell those calling for more freedom in his homeland ''to shut up.''

During a stopover in Japan on his way to the United States, the Tibetan spiritual leader strongly denied Chinese allegations he and his followers have used the run-up to the Olympics to foment unrest. He said he has supported China's hosting the Olympics from the start.

''Right from the beginning, we supported the Olympic Games,'' he told reporters near the airport outside Tokyo. ''I really feel very sad the government demonizes me. I am just a human; I am not a demon.''

The Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since a failed 1959 uprising in Tibet, said he would even like to attend the opening ceremonies of the games this August if the Tibetan crisis is resolved.

''If things improve and the Chinese government starts to see things realistically, I personally want to enjoy the big ceremony,'' he said.

Source: newspress.com

Meanwhile, writer Brian Wise calls Tibet "this year's fashionable victim," and chastises protesters who seem to care about Tibet only when its cool:

Those on the Left suddenly outraged about the treatment of Tibet by China may now, finally, understand the Right’s longstanding problem with Communism. Congratulations. Above and beyond this, one struggles to learn what all the shouting is about. Yes, Tibet remains under Chinese oppression. But other than the small (and rightfully dedicated) Free Tibet movementeers and gatherings of college kids scattered hither and yon, no one bothers to think about Tibet except when it’s fashionable, like now; the oppression it experiences today is substantively no different than it was ten years ago, or twenty years before that. Which in no way excuses the oppression, but does go to show that no one’s forced servitude is above exploitation in an election year.

Source: americandaily.com

If there is a Tibet bandwagon, the European Union Parliament is also on it--they've urged EU governments to consider a boycott of the games.

Brussels. The European Parliament has urged European Union governments to consider a boycott of the Olympic opening ceremony if China does not resume talks with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, DW informs. The 27 European Union leaders remain divided over how to handle the opening ceremony in the Chinese capital on August 8. The Parliament's non-binding resolution, adopted in Brussels with a vast majority, comes amid a growing number of pro-Tibet rallies in western nations. The Dalai Lama reaffirmed on Thursday that he is seeking Tibetan autonomy and cultural freedoms within China, but that he supports the right of Beijing to host the Olympics in August.

Source: focus-fen.net

Nevertheless, the relay goes on.  Next stop: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Olympic flame arrived Thursday under heavy security from San Francisco, where police cut the torch's route in half and sent the flame far away from demonstrators, disappointing many who had gathered to see it.

Argentine authorities are deploying 1,300 federal police, 1,500 naval police and some 3,000 traffic police and volunteers—enough to ensure security "without going to the extreme that nobody will be able to see the torch," said government sports official Francisco Irarrazabal.

Irarrazabal said at the airport that the jetliner carrying the torch and a Chinese delegation had arrived Thursday afternoon as expected, and that the flame, kept in a "safety lantern," was being whisked to an undisclosed overnight location for safekeeping.

Source: mercurynews.com

"We are waiting for the torch with anxiety," Irarrazabal said. "May it come here ... but may it also leave."

Mayor Mauricio Macri said the opening ceremony would involve a tango troupe, followed by a nearly three-hour relay along 8 1/2 miles of streets. Of 80 runners, soccer's Diego Maradona has been invited to be the first, and tennis' Gabriela Sabatini has confirmed she'll be the last.

The route offers ample opportunity for street protests, and Argentines are masters of the art: Noisy demonstrations with people banging pots and pans occurred daily during a 2002 economic meltdown and have continued ever since.

But the torch relay has prompted surprisingly little buzz here, especially given that it's the first visit of an Olympic torch to Argentina.

Source: mercurynews.com